The human body is an incredible thing. Even after years of smoking, your system can mount a strong recovery; it's possible you will even enjoy the same level of health as non-smokers.

I smoked two packs of cigarettes every day for many years. I couldn't go for any length of time without lighting one up.

If I was awake, I had a smoke going. And quite often I would get up in the middle of the night, smoke a cigarette, and go back to bed.

I'm sure you can imagine the state of my health during those years. I was a wreck.

I hacked and wheezed all the time. My nose and eyes were always burning.

I could barely walk a block without losing my wind.

In fact, I even had a heart attack as a direct result of my nasty habit.

I won't go into the details of how I finally quit; you'll have to get that scoop in another one of my articles.

But I do want to share some amazing facts with you about the body's ability to recover, even from the devastating effects of constant smoke inhalation and toxic chemical abuse.

At the time of this writing, I have been smoke free for four years. My heart is strong and relaxed, and I have the lung capacity to endure long walks and regular exercise sessions.

There was a time during my smoking years that I had pretty much thrown in the towel. I looked at my extremely poor state of health and just assumed I had ruined my body for good.

But I was wrong.